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Twenty Years of the Macintosh


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by Graeme Moffatt <gmoffatt@i4free.co.nz>

Watching the 1984 Super Bowl, American football fans witnessed the launch of a new computer that would revolutionise the way society developed. In a 45-second advertisement, Apple Computer introduced the Macintosh, a computer we have grown to either love or despise. In the advert, a brightly attired female athlete runs into a hall filled with grey suited males and smashes a large screen projecting the image of an autocratic Big Brother.

In December, 1983, Apple Computers ran its' famous "1984" Macintosh television commercial, on a small unknown station solely to make the commercial eligible for awards during 1984. The commercial cost US$1.5 million and only ran once in 1983, but news and talk shows everywhere replayed it, making TV history. The next month, Apple Computer ran the same ad during the NFL Super Bowl, and millions of viewers saw their first glimpse of the Macintosh computer. The commercial was directed by Ridley Scott, and the Orwellian scene depicted the IBM world being destroyed by a new machine, the "Macintosh."

This advert took its inspiration from George Orwells book “1984” to reinforce its message. The full text of the advert was “Today, we celebrate the first glorious anniversary of the Information Purification Directives. We have created, for the first time in all history, a garden of pure ideology. Where each worker may bloom secure from the pests of contradictory and confusing truths. Our Unification of Thoughts is more powerful a weapon than any fleet or army on earth. We are one people, with one will, one resolve, one cause. Our enemies shall talk themselves to death and we will bury them with their own confusion. We shall prevail! On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you’ll see why 1984 wont be like 1984.”

Jon Fortt of the Mercury News stated on the 18th January this year, "It changed computing as we knew it. Twenty years ago, Apple Computer heaved a sledgehammer into the face of the establishment with its revolutionary Macintosh. It gave birth to our culture of pointing and clicking, desktop icons, and dragging files to the trash. Later the Mac would bring CD drives, candy-colored cases and wireless networking. But when it first said hello in 1984, it was as if all of Silicon Valley's technical brilliance and all of its verve had been captured in one plucky beige box." <http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/7739751.htm>.

The Apple Macintosh (128k) features an 8 MHz 68000 processor, 128k of RAM, and a 400k disk drive in a beige all-in-one case with a 9" monochrome display. The Macintosh (128k) was the first relatively inexpensive computer to use a graphical user interface, 3.5" disks, a consistent look-and-feel among applications, and true WYSIWYG printing, all of which are taken for granted today. This computer started a different way of thinking, allowing the user to concentrate on working rather than struggling to get the computer to work. Further details of the history of the Macintosh and other aspects of Apple Computer can be found on the following sites. <http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blapplecomputer.htm>, <http://www.apple-history.com>, <http://apple2history.org/history/ah08.html>.

A full report on the first Macintosh first published by the Mercury News in January 1984 and reprinted on the 16th January this year can be found at <http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/7739751.htm>.
The original advert has had a makeover by Apple and was played by Steve Jobs at his MacWorld Keynote address on the 7th January. Apple has kitted out the female athlete with an iPod which swings from around her neck as she runs through the hall carrying the sledge hammer. This advert can be downloaded from <http://www.apple.com/hardware/ads/1984/>.


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